Hostname: page-component-7c8c6479df-27gpq Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-03-26T11:45:43.845Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

The development of a measure of intimate bonds

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 July 2009

Kay Wilhelm*
Affiliation:
School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Australia
Gordon Parker
Affiliation:
School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Australia
*
1Address for correspondence: Dr K. Wilhelm, School of Psychiatry, Prince Henry Hospital, Little Bay. 2036, Australia.

Synopsis

This paper discusses the relevance of assessing the nature of intimate relationships and reports on the development of such an instrument. The Intimate Bond Measure (IBM) is a self-report measure assessing two key underlying dimensions, care and control. Its properties are assessed in separate studies, establishing its high test-retest reliability, the homogeneous nature of the isolated dimensions, its insensitivity to broad socio-demographic influences and its minimal sensitivity to depressed mood state. Support for its validity, in terms of both perceived and actual characteristics of care and control, is demonstrated. It provides a simple and efficient measure of central constructs underlying intimate relationships, and is of potential use in studies attempting to assess the relevance of intimate relationships to the onset and course of psychiatric disorders.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1988

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Arrindell, W. A. & Schaap, C. (1985). The Maudsley Marital Questionnaire (MMQ): an extension of its construct validity. British Journal of Psychiatry 147, 295299.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Arrindell, W. A., Bodens, W. & Lambert, H. (1983 a). On the psychometric properties of the Maudsley Marital Questionnaire (MMQ): evaluation of self-ratings in distressed and ‘normal’ volunteer couples based on the Dutch version. Personality and Individual Differences 4, 293306.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Arrindell, W. A., Emmelkamp, P. M. G. & Bast, S. (1983 b). The Maudsley Marital Questionnaire (MMQ): a further step towards its validation. Personality and Individual Differences 4, 457464.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Beck, A. T., Ward, C. M., Mendelson, M., Mock, J. E., Erbaum, T. & Waugh, J. K. (1961). An inventory for measuring depression. Archives of General Psychiatry 4, 561671.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Birtchnell, J. (1985). The relationship between scores on Ryle's Marital Patterns Test and independent ratings of marital quality. British Journal of Psychiatry 146, 638644.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Brown, G. & Harris, T. (1978). Social Origins of Depression. A Study of Psychiatric Disorder in Women. Tavistock Publications: London.Google Scholar
Clinebell, H. J. & Clinebell, C. M. (1970). The Intimate Marriage. Harper and Row: New York.Google Scholar
Cobb, J. P., McDonald, R., Marks, I. & Stern, R. (1980). Marital versus exposure therapy – psychological treatment of co-existing marital and phobic-obsessive problems. Behavior Analysis and Modification 4, 316.Google Scholar
Congalton, A. A. (1969). Status ranking list of occupations in Australia, Appendix B to Status and Prestige in Australia F W Cheshire: Melbourne.Google Scholar
Costello, C. G. (1982). Social factors associated with depression: a retrospective community study. Psychological Medicine 12, 329339.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Crandall, R. (1976). Validation of self-report measures using ratings by others. Social Methods and Research 4, 380400.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cronbach, L. J. (1951). Coefficient alpha and the internal structure of tests. Psychometrika 16, 297334.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Crowe, M. T. (1978). Conjoint marital therapy: a controlled outcome study. Psychological Medicine 8, 623636.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gurland, B. J., Yorkston, N. J., Stone, A. R., Frank, J. D. & Fliess, L. (1972). The structured and scaled interview to assess maladjustment (SSIAM). I. Description, rationale and development. Archives of General Psychiatry 27, 259263.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Harris, T. & Brown, G. W. (1985). Interpreting data in aetiological studies of affective disorder: some pitfalls and ambiguities. British Journal of Psychiatry 147, 515.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Heins, T. J. & Yellow, J. H. (1981). Validity studies on the Ryle Marital Patterns Test. British Journal of Medical Psychology 54, 5158.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Henderson, A. S., Byrne, D. G., & Duncan-Jones, P. (1981). Neurosis and The Social Environment. Academic Press: Sydney.Google Scholar
Hinde, R. A. (1979). Towards Understanding Relationships. Academic Press: London.Google Scholar
Kreitman, N. (1964). The patient's spouse. British Journal of Psychiatry 110, 159173.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kreitman, N., Collins, J., Nelson, B. & Troop, J (1971). Neurosis and marital interaction. IV. Manifest psychological interaction. British Journal of Psychiatry 117, 3346.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Locke, H. J. & Wallace, K. L. (1959). Short marital-adjustment and prediction tests: their reliability and validity. Marriage and Family Living 21, 251255.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Monteiro, W., Marks, M. & Ramm, E (1985). Marital adjustment and treatment outcome in agoraphobia. British Journal of Psychiatry 146, 383390.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Nie, N. H., Hull, C. H., Jenkins, J. G., Steinbrenner, K. & Bent, D. M. (1975). Statistical Package for the Social Sciences. McGraw-Hill: New York.Google Scholar
O'Connor, P. & Brown, G. W. (1984). Supportive relationships fact or fancy? Journal of Social and Personal Relationships 1, 159175.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Parker, G. (1983). Parental Overprotection: A Risk Factor in Psychosocial Development. Grune and Stratton: New York.Google Scholar
Parker, G. & Hadzi-Pavlovic, D. (1984). Modification of levels of depression in mother-bereaved women by parental and marital relationships. Psychological Medicine 14, 125135.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Parker, G., Tupling, M. & Brown, L. B. (1979). A parental bonding instrument. British Journal of Medical Psychology 52, 110.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Paykel, E. S., Myers, J. K., Dienelt, M. N., Klerman, G. L., Lindenthal, J. J. & Pepper, M. P. (1969). Life events and depression: a controlled study. Archives of General Psychiatry 21, 753760.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pond, D. A., Ryle, A. & Hamilton, M. (1963). Marriage and neurosis in a working class population. British Journal of Psychiatry 109, 592598.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Quinton, D., Rutter, M. & Liddle, C. (1984). Institutional rearing, parenting difficulties and marital support. Psychological Medicine 14, 107124.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ryle, A. (1966). A marital patterns test for use in psychiatric research. British Journal of Psychiatry 123, 535541.Google Scholar
Schaefer, M. T. & Olsen, D. H. (1981). Assessing intimacy: the PAIR inventory. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy 7, 4760.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schutz, , William, C. (1966). The Interpersonal Underworld. FIRO: A 3D Theory of Interpersonal Behaviour Science and Behaviour Books Inc: Palo Alto, California.Google Scholar
Schutz, , William, C. (1967). The Firo Scales Manual. Consulting Psychologists Press: Palo Alto California.Google Scholar
Scott-Heyes, G. (1982). Analysis and revision of Ryle's Marital Patterns Test. British Journal of Medical Psychology 55, 6775.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Spanier, G. B. (1976). Measuring dyadic adjustment: new scales for assessing the quality of marriage and similar dyads. Journal of Marriage and the Family 38, 1528.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Spanier, G. B. (1979). The measurement of marital quality. Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy 5, 288299.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Waring, E. M. (1985). Measurement of intimacy conceptual and methodological issues of studying close relationships. Psychological Medicine 15, 914.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Waring, E. M. & Reddon, J. R. (1983). The measurement of intimacy in marriage: The Waring Intimacy Questionnaire. Journal of Clinical Psychology 39, 53573.0.CO;2-0>CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Waring, E. M., McElrath, D., Lefcoe, D. & Weisz, G. (1981). Dimensions of intimacy in marriage. Psychiatry 4 471474.Google Scholar
Zung, W. W. K. (1965). A self-rating depression scale. Archives of General Psychiatry 12, 6370.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed